Quick Hits Boston: A Look Inside The New Divine Design Center

Outgrowing your space is one thing, but moving to a new location and becoming New England’s largest design showroom is quite an accomplishment. That’s just what Divine Design Center did when they relocated in January from the Boston Design Center to their expansive location on Battery Wharf.

“We have over 8,000 square feet of space and this location is five times the size of our original location,” said Magued Barsoum, who co-owns Divine Design Center with his wife, Mariette. “It’s right on the water and has 150 feet of windows. We are quite excited about the new location. A vast majority of what we do is residential and we are in the process of working with a number of developers with projects that range from 10 to 20 units, to over 200 units. We provide designs for kitchens, bathrooms and work rooms. I think what makes us unique is that we offer kitchen and bathroom design services as well as furniture, so people may come to us looking for a living room set or to buy a table and four chairs while others may be looking for assistance with a whole kitchen renovation. There are nice furniture stores in Boston, but there aren’t any that offer German, Austrian or Italian designs in one showroom. Many of our customers had homes in the suburbs that they have sold and they are now moving to the city. They are looking to downsize in the process and aren’t looking to bring furniture with them.”

Divine Design Center’s modern home living concept is geared towards clients looking for a unique style and design. “We have six interior designers who work with homeowners and architects,” Barsoum said. “We carry high end European designs and target mid- to high-end customers looking for something different. Our styles combine New England tradition with European design, so it’s not too too modern and we have found it’s a right fit for the Boston market. Boston is a cross between a traditional city and a modern city. We straddle the line of modern combined with Boston glamour.”

Some of the brands they carry for kitchen design include Leicht, Doca, Team-7 and Arrital. When it comes to furniture, look for styles from Rolf-Benz, Arketipo, MisuraEmme, Naos, Team-7, Sahrai, Pianca and Naos; and appliances by Gaggenau, Miele, Thermador, Bosch and Cook-n-Dine.

Next Wednesday, Divine Design Center is celebrating the official opening of their new North End space with a reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The evening will include live music from La Vie En Rose, a European jazz quintet along with European cuisine prepared by Chef Kurt von Kahle and Chef Paul Turano in two live showroom kitchens.